Fudgy Sea Salt Brownies

This is another installment of- “Take old posts and make them even better.” I’ve been in love with these brownies for a couple years, but felt that the recipe could afford a couple changes so here we are!

Since starting this blog, I seem to analyze every dessert item I put into my mouth. In any given meal I think- “Could I recreate this?” “Is that dark chocolate?” “How is this cake so fluffy?” (More often than not, I try to not eat sweets when I’m out because I always eat so many at home.) Sometimes though, I come across something so delicious that I have to keep buying it out until I figure out how to recreate it. What am I talking about you may ask? Well yes- the Sea Salt Brownie Bites from Trader Joes. I’m obsessed. I always throw a container into my cart and often times have made a serious dent in them before I even get to checkout. (Oops.) So you are probably not surprised that I had made it my mission to recreate something as similar as possible.

I didn’t really think I could make a version of my favorite bite-sized treats that I loved more than the original, but boy was I wrong. These are in a whole other league from the store bought ones. Really they are just amazing, dark chocolate, fudgy brownies that are kicked up a notch with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. Originally these were made in a mini-muffin tin, but after a few batches, I found that sometimes they didn’t pop out as easily as I’d like. So- this go around I just made them in an 8×8 pan which allows for cutting them into whatever size portion you want. (I had planned to make them bite-sized, but I couldn’t resist.)

These brownies have perfectly crisp edges, fudgy centers, and just enough bits of flaky sea salt to make them truly out of this world. They come together in no time and are super easy to throw into a ziploc and bring to any outing or get together. (A summer picnic maybe?) I can’t wait to make these again!

Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325°F with a rack in the bottom third of the oven.

Place the butter in a large heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (makeshift double boiler). When it begins to melt, add the sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate bar. Stir occasionally until the butter and chocolate have completely melted and mixture is homogenous and glossy–it may still appear a bit grainy.

Remove the bowl from the pot let it cool slightly.

Add the vanilla and stir. Then add each egg, one at a time, mixing well with a whisk after each to completely incorporate it.

Sprinkle the flour, cornstarch and salt over the batter, and mix until they are completely combined. Continue to mix for another minute to ensure the mixture is smooth, but don't over mix. The batter will be very thick but glossy & smooth.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle generously with sea salt. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out covered with a few moist crumbs. Mine took about 35 minutes.

Allow the brownies to cool slightly then lift the sides of parchment to remove the brownies from the pan. Slice and serve warm, room temperature or cold- they are amazing every way!

I’ve never been to Trader Joe’s but I keep reading about it. It kind of makes me jealous, haha. But because I’ve never been there, I’ve never heard of these brownies. But just looking at your pictures makes me want to eat several. I love fudgy insides! :D

No Trader Joe’s here in the UK but I keep hearing about it too. These look so fantastic. The photos look amazing, loving the sea salt popping out. Can’t wait to try these so I know in some ways what you’re talking about.

Haha! I so know what you mean about the analyzing of baked goods, but since I cook so often I do the same thing with EVERYTHING I eat. It’s bittersweet. But, I’m going to Spain and France soon so it will be doubly hard to control with all the amazing food options! Thanks for sharing these brownie bites – Love the sweet saltiness of them!

I made these yesterday to bring to a cookout. Wow!! They are delish, and easy. Glad for the warning that things will look a little grainy. I got concerned when I started adding the eggs since the batter looked “broken”, but I pushed through. Things smoothed out as soon as I added the flour. They were a big hit, and I love the fact that every single one has crispy chewy edges. I don’t think I’ll ever make a pan of brownies again. This is my new go-to brownie recipe! Thanks for all your wonderful ideas!

I made these about a week ago and they were really good. I ended up only making 1/3 of the recipe because I didn’t need 36 brownie bites, but 12 was the perfect number. The only thing is I don’t think I have your affinity for salty/sweet combos. I took a bite and it was much to salty for my prefrence, but the brownie itself was really nice! :)

I just wanna say, I came across this recipe awhile ago and have made it many, many times (never in bite-size form, though), and they’re the BEST brownies EVER. I haven’t even tried any other recipes since I found this one because it is perfection. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

I’m kind of new to your fantastic blog, so this is the first time I’ve seen this recipe and I will definitely make it. But I have a question – why should the eggs be cold? All my life I’ve made sure all the ingredients are at room temp. I know there must be a good reason for the cold eggs, just can’t figure it out!

Thanks! Droste is my go-to Dutch-processed so will use that. But as for the chocolate, do you use a baking bar like ghirardelli or eating chocolate? Do you mind saying which brand of 70% you like for this?

Although they are a bit harder to “pry” out of the mini muffin pans, I have always thought that idea was ingenious. I will probably continue to make them that way because I pop them out, throw them in a freezer bag, and always have a stash ready to defrost. We take them to the lake all the time.

I made these the other day. I found them to have too much butter in them, which is something I’ve never said about a baked good, ha! My batter had an oily texture, and once the brownies were cool, they were tongue-coatingly buttery. If I made these again I might just use 1.5 sticks of butter, or maybe even 1.

I made these today and they are incredible! Sooooo chocolatey and luscious. My only issue was mine came out a bit too crumbly and fell apart more than I would like. Any idea why that might have happened?

I was wondering a couple of things, 1) is these away I can melt the chocolate another way with out the double boiler or make shift double boiler? Can I just melt the chocolate in a pot or even in the microwave? 2) Die you use regular or dark coco powder?

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